a bi-weekly column by Don Houston, John Sinnott, Chris
Tribbey, and Todd Douglass

Welcome to the latest installment of Anime Talk. This week in our capsle
reviews we have the last volume of Area 88 that ends on a high
note, and the concluding episodes of Gantz that doesn't. Case
Closed wraps up its fifth season, and Mermaid Forest comes to
a close too. We also look at a new series, Nickelodeon's Avatar
and review the collected Zone of Enders boxed set. Holly's
Anime Bargains returns, for those looking to stretch their anime dollars
after the holidays, macho-man has Chris Tribbey a look
at a new romance series that looks promising, Diamond Daydreams,
and we have our table of upcoming releases.

Is there something else you'd like to see in Anime Talk? Something
you like or dislike about the column? Drop us an e-mail
and let us know!

The Latest
Anime Reviews:(Click on the links to read the full review.)

Area
88: Wings of the Wind brings one of our favorite series to a close
with Shin finding out his beloved is about to marry his arch rival. Shin’s
within a couple of targets of his goal to pay off his contract when the
news comes in from photographer Shinjo but will he achieve his goal in
time or simply defect and be hunted down for the rest of his life. Otherwise,
the series went out with the same high quality production values and extras
that fans have come to expect; making it one of the most requested titles
for a follow up series to date.

In Gankutsuou:
The Count of Monte Cristo V2, Albert learns more about the mysterious
Count but his motives are still unclear. The privileged aristocracy has
much to fear from the fabulously wealthy man yet the web of the series
is still being weaved at a stately rate in order to truly flesh out the
reasoning behind his dark scheming. Is the Count a villain or the victim
in this futuristic version of the Alexandre Dumas classic? Continue to
watch it and find out but keep in mind that the technical aspects of the
series alone are worth a peek with the writing elevating it even higher
in the opinion of many.

The fifth season of Detective Conan, known as Case
Closed here in the States, wraps up with volume five. This DVD
has only three stand alone episodes, but they are some of the best shows
in the season involving some fun mysteries and good detective work.
The disc starts off with a locked room puzzle, which is the best and closest
to a traditional mystery story, but the latter two epsides also feature
some good plots. While the fact that Conan does want anyone to know
that he's really solving the mysteries is pretty dumb and often played
for laughs, and some of the crimes are really stupid, this show comes up
with its fair share of good mysteries.

With a blend of reality TV, live news and science fiction, Starship
Operators is one unique little series. The only problem is that the
first four episodes on the premier volume don’t do a lot to suck you in
as a viewer. The characters are not well represented and the story is slow
and plodding. The basic premise here is that a grand war is going on and
the evil force known as The Kingdom forces the surrender of the Kibi nation.
This doesn’t sit well with a group of military cadets who above all rhyme
and reason take over their ship to wage a one vessel campaign to regain
the dignity of their people. Sure it sounds interesting, but until more
volumes come out and we learn more about what’s going on this one sits
comfortably in rental territory.

The
last episode of Gantz
is pretty disappointing, and not only because the volume has a mere three
episodes. After watching ten volumes of the show that were released
over nearly a year, most viewers are probably hoping for some sort of resolution
at the end. The answers to exactly who or what the Gantz is, how
it picks its victims, why the games are played, and how the old lady who
asked for directions fits into all of this would really wrap up this series
nicely. Unfortunately, you don't find out any of that. The series
just ends in a vague confusing way with almost nothing resolved.
A real bummer.

Volume five of Kyo
Kara Maoh is another solid installment in the series. First,
the demon king Yuri has to save an endangered dragon from poachers, and
then the series starts another multi-part story when a 10 year old girl
attempts to assassinate the king. Managing to avoid a lot of
the cliche's of fantasy anime while still having a familiar feel, this
is show is worth checking out.

A little beyond the halfway point in the Fullmetal
Alchemist series the show proves that it still has what it takes to
keep going strong. The seventh volume takes a step back from the action
and events of the past few in order to reflect upon things. We finally
get to meet Ed and Al’s alchemy teacher in a display of hilarity and violence
that is the source for many flashbacks. Getting some glimpses at the brother’s
past helps to flesh out their characters even more, as if they really need
it. The show offers just about everything that you could want from an anime
and we’re still glued to the edge of our seat to see if Ed and Al get that
Philosopher’s Stone.

The unedited version of the first Dragon Ball Z saga continues in Vegeta
Saga Volume 7. The pace really picks up in these three episodes with
Goku starting, and finishing, his training with King Kai, the Z Warriors
go back to Earth and prepare for a fight, and the Saiyans finally arriving
on Earth. There are some interesting extra scenes that weren't shown on
US television too, appearing here for the first time in region 1.
Well worth picking up for DBZ fans.

Working
stiff James Links and his family of the future find themselves on the run
after being set up for a fall in Zone
of the Enders: Complete Collection. Derived from a videogame, the story
follows them as they attempt to prevent an advanced orbital frame (mechanized
robot of superior firepower and maneuverability) from falling into enemy
hands. The only problem is that just about everyone seems to be the enemy
as they are set up for a set of murders that didn’t commit. If you like
chase series punctuated with numerous battles, this value-packed set will
really hit the spot.

The fifth volume of Baki
the Grappler has come along and this time the series is at a point
that is five years later than the last installment. You see, after Baki
lost to his father and after the subsequent death of his moth, he realized
that he still needed more training. He left the country only to return
and enter an underground combat arena known as the Holy Land of Fighting.
All of the best fighters in the world gather there and for the time being
Baki actually has remained champion. This volume introduces us to his new
life and brings a slew of new warriors into the picture. The direction
may be a little different than the previous volumes but this is the material
that fans of the Baki OVA have been waiting to get to.

In the second season of the show, Girls
Bravo 4 seemed to take a renewed look at the common factors of the
show with lead male Yukinari still allergic to women but barely showing
it as he dealt with the twisted Fukuyama’s schemes repeatedly. The fantastical
elements of the show weren’t exactly written out of the episodes but they
were downplayed to the point where they weren’t noticed nearly as much
in favor of more fan service than the show has displayed previously. If
you like seeing animated breasts popping out of clothes, nude anime chicks
running around, and lots of panty shots, you might overlook the problems
the show had.

Just as wild and wacky as the first three discs, the fourth volume of
Kodocha
is a lot of fun. This time Sana has a problem that she can't solve
by being chipper and happy. It seems that there is a mystery in Sana's
past, possibly involving her father, and her mother is going to use it
as fodder for her next book. This is a really different show, a girls
anime that's actually funny and entertianing. The English dub is
really good too, and most of the credit for that goes to Laura Bailey.
Her work as Sana really brings this show alive and makes it incredibly
funny. Her voice just fits the 11 year old Sana well, and the many
scenes where she's rattling off some mondo-bizzaro dialog is laugh-out-loud
funny. This is a very entertaining show that really should be getting
more press. Check it out, it is highly recommended.

In
a show from Nickelodeon, Avatar:
The Last Airbender 1 provided something in-between the usual anime
and the Saturday morning cartoon with the adventures of a small group of
kids destined to change the world. The world is at war with one of the
four factions, the Fire Nation, nearly in control until Sokka and Katara
come across an iceberg with a frozen boy inside. It quickly melts to unveil
Aang, the last Airbender and Avatar, along with his faithful companion
Appa. The team soon finds itself the most wanted group in the world as
Zuko the Fire Prince hunts them down to prevent the prophecy from restoring
balance to the four tribes, thereby weakening his own nation’s dominant
stranglehold on the world.

More Mimetic Beasts continue to wage war against the humans near the
close of the first season of Godannar.
Mira is progressing quite nicely so that creates a rift between Goh and
Anna that may very well drive them apart. A mysterious warrior known as
Ken steps into the picture seeking vengeance for the death of a loved one.
It’s difficult to tell whose side he’s really on, but Lou becomes infatuated
with him and eventually gets taught how to be a pilot. The action and fanservice
continues with the third volume as the show continues to be a guilty pleasure
of sorts for mecha-freaks.

Mermaid Forest:
Neverending Nightmare, the final volume of episodes where immortals
Yuta and Mana walk the countryside in search of a cure for their having
eaten the mystical flesh of mermaids was released recently. While not the
best Japan has to offer, fans of the darker side of storytelling might
appreciate how the couple continued to struggle against those who’d do
them harm (apparently, everyone wants to live forever but these two). I
saw some elements to enjoy in the series but the limitations were more
readily apparent so check it out as a rental first.

It's hard to impress action anime fans with stories of romance. I'll
take a mecha, a sword-slinger, or a magic-wielder over an anime love affair
any day of the week, and twice on Sundays. After just one episode of Diamond
Daydreams, though, I eagerly awaited the next chapter. I'll never admit
it to friends, and I promised myself a Ninja Scroll binge afterward
to remind myself I'm tough. But the stories and characters of Diamond
Daydreams captured me fully and quickly, and (with the blinds closed)
I'll watch volume two when it comes out.

In the first of two tales on this DVD, 20-year-old Atsuko helps her
mom run a small food stand, working hard but feeling like life is passing
her by. Mom is a no-nonsense woman, running her daughter hard, but lovingly,
chastising Atsuko's friends for calling work, and prodding her daughter
to marry that pompous (yet well-off) young gentleman, who can help get
the store out of financial difficulty. After all, Atsuko is a plain girl,
not unattractive, but surely a tomboy, who's lucky to have a suitor at
all, in mom's estimation.

All plans - mom's, the suitor's, Atsuko's - are dashed aside when tall,
dark and handsome enters the picture. He's engaging, humorous, and he wins
Atsuko's eye and affections. A gentleman, this saxophone player begins
a budding romance with Atsuko. But mom, and more pointedly, Atsuko's expectant
husband won't allow this to happen without a fight. Not at all.

The second tale follows a bed-ridden beauty with an uncaring ass for
a doctor. Two years in the hospital has left Karin forlorn and lonely.
Her only solace is found in a laptop, where she writes her thoughts in
a blog. Soon, she has a caring and intriguing pen pal, asking pointed questions
and showing great affection for Karin. But will her dreams match reality
when she comes face to face with her newfound friend?

Diamond Daydreams surprised me. While it moved at a snail's pace
sometimes, I found the characters immediately engaging. Many romance anime
give us immature, bumbling fools, feeling about blindly on their first
road of love. You can spot the lacking ability of romantic storytelling
in the creators of these shows when they revert to slapstick comedy and
busty fan service. This anime features believable characters who've reached
young adulthood, giving off mature emotions of tempered longing and troubled
contemplation. Sure, every now and then Atsuko may trip and spill cartons
of squid everywhere, but those few trips are forgiven in an anime that
knows what it is, and doesn't stray too far. Some interesting direction,
decent designs, and fitting music wrap around this above-average romance
tale.

Recommended for fans of romance anime that don't try to be comedies
at the same time.

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